I do not begin to pretend that I have used every kit or every product out there, but I have had many, many customers that after buying kits, and other headlight cleaning products, call me and bring the car to me anyway, some believing that they have ruined their lights. So after they have wasted several hours of their valuable time and they are out the money for the do it yourself solution, now are paying me to fix the problem.

I have had others show me their headlights after they have restored them and seem to be proud of their results. Then I ask them to let me redo one of their headlights to show them what a TRUE HEADLIGHT RESTORATION is all about. They can't believe their eyes. I have also done this for used car dealership managers and have won accounts from other vendors who say they do headlights.

In my opinion, Some of The Problems with Kits and Other Products.

Many of the kits use some kind of a clear coat and call it a UV protection, they will sand off some of the bad plastic and to cover over scratches and what bad material they leave behind with this clear coat. The problem is that the oxidized plastic or other debris that remains on the headlight will still not let light shine through, even though the headlights seem to be clearer, than they were when they started. The clear coat will also in many if not most cases start to crack and peel in a short time due to applying it over a not so clean surface and/or the constant temperature changes that take place. Some kits do NO sanding, they just use a chemical cleaner and then clear coat. How bad is that???

I have challenged ones to let me pick the headlights, they use a kit and I use my process and I have not lost yet.

I will in the near future be showing pictures of some of these challenges.

I have even had a kit sales representative ask me if there was not room in the used car business for both of us? because I was taking so many of his customers. (used car dealers).

More on kits later.

Summary: In my opinion, the average do it yourself-er" will not get the results that will please him. Not for the money and time, that he will spend. In most cases I can restore your headlight to a nearly factory new condition, At a very, affordable price.

Tom Wood uses kits and does it in-house and unlike many of the other dealerships that I work for where the used car managers choose which venders to use they tell their people who to use, no matter if they can get it done better.

I have always felt that the man with his hand on the plow will plow a straighter line if he is not being told where to go, by someone standing afar off trying to direct him or micro manages him. If he can't be trusted to make sound decisions, why is he working for you, if you can't trust him???

I have also had a service representative from Tom Wood VW North, tell me that they have been thru three different kits and really haven't found one that matches the work we do (but it's cheaper).

A used car manager, also from another Tom Wood Store, on the north side said to me, that he was told to use the in-house guy, even though he likes our work better because it was far superior to what they have. I have personally seen their guys work and it is without a doubt substandard work (in my opinion).

Comments

Rick W.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 10:03 AM

Kits don't work for me.

Brad W. (Greenwood IN.)

Friday, March 2, 2012, 06:07 PM

I have used four different kits and the results have always been the same. The headlights always look just a little better at first but within 1 â 3 months the lights look as bad or worse then, they did before I started.

Bright Lights Now fixed the problem a year ago and I have followed the aftercare like they suggested and they look as good as the day they were done.

Way to go Bright Lights Now. You truly are THE âHEADLIGHT GUYâ

Administrator (Rick - The Headlight Guy)

Friday, February 17, 2012, 02:42 PM

Well, well, well, I just this morning had a manager from Ray Skillman in Greenwood tell me, âIf it was going to be my headlights done on my car or that of a family member or one of my friends, I would not use our service. I would unquestionably have you guys (BLN) do itâ. âI know our guys canât even come close to the quality of work done by you. You are the âReal Dealââ.

Before I could leave the dealership I had a sales person stop me and ask me for a card and he said, and I quote, âI will be calling you, I wouldnât use our guys for my carâ

Watch the video and notice the last step uses clear coat. As described in other places on this blog, clear coat is a bad idea. You canât see it on the video but when you use clear coat it looks like someone rubbed Karo syrup on it. It does NOT look like âClear, Like New Headlightâ the scratches that were left from the sandpaper are being covered up by the clear coat. From my experience this clear coat will in short order start to flake and peel and the headlight looks worse and will return to a much worse, unsafe condition.

My professional opinion is that clear coat is not now and will never be a good idea in restoring your headlights. We FIX the problem. We donât cover it up with a gimmick. Time and time again, I have challenged ones who use a âclear coatâ process at dealerships, and have won the work because the managers see for themselves the difference between this trick and what I do.

Iâve said this before, look at some âbadâ headlights, take some water and spray it on them. While they are wet they do not seem so âbadâ. Clear coat gives it that âwet look all the timeâ the problem is that the scratches and cloudiness that stops the light from getting thru is still there. Itâs a gimmick, smoke and mirrors.

The Headlight Guy

Steve J. Greenwood Indiana

Friday, January 29, 2010, 12:57 PM

I have used two (2) different kits and they both work a little but nothing like the job that you did for me. Never again will I waste time and money with âheadlight restoration kitsâ not for the great price you charge.

The Headlight Guy

Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 12:55 PM

That is a very good point Greg, they price the kits just cheap enough that it is more of a bother to return it, so they just take the loss.

I do know that one of the kits cost about $30 to $35, and the instructions say âif the headlights are real bad you will need two kits, for a total cost of as much as $70. I only charge $130 for most domestic and lower end imports, for a sure fix. And the customer doesnât waist one minute of his time.

Justyn Smith

Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 09:03 PM

In helping Rick restore some headlights, I have been present on a few cars in which a "kit" was used, or clear coat was used.....My opinion? Hire Rick. Let me compare it like this. When you get your car painted, do you want a painter to use 240 grit and then spray it? Or do you want a painter to block sand the car to a fine grit with no lines, and then spray it? Pretty simple answer. The finish of Ricks process leaves a pristine smooth, almost brand new, and in some cases, brand new (in my opinion) look to the headlights. Not some mediocre, "Oh, you used one of those kit things, didn't you," look to the headlight. Some might argue that the clear leaves a shiny finish and protects the headlight from fogging up. Does it? Sure it does. BUT, the clear coat cracks and peels quicker than the headlight would fog up again anyways leaving a much harder process ahead of you to fix it. Good thing is though....if you decide to go that route, when it does go bad, it can be fixed. And the number to call is on the brightlightsnow.com homepage....lol.

Greg Klosterman

Saturday, December 5, 2009, 04:14 PM

I have been restoring headlights for quite a few years (12) and have yet to see any kit do what we can do with our process. Show me a kit that takes care of spots, and or hazing on the inside, let alone moisture.

Buyer Beware: These kits are priced low enough to lure you into buying them, in hopes that you will not try to return them. One guy on Ebay reported that the kit he bought was a scam, and when he went to return it, the shipping and restocking fee ate up any money back guarantee!

Head to Head: I had the pleasure to embarrass a kit representative. At a dealership we were challenged to test our process against a kit. On a late model Intrepid with the big headlights that take up 2/3rds of the front of the car. Not only the salesmen, but also the used car manager and, the General Manager were interested in the outcome. I and Tony (one of our Techs) knew before we started how it was going to turn out. We did our light off the vehicle, and the kit guy did his on the car. Our light took a few minutes longer than usual because we had to do the inside too and let it dry. When we were done, we reinstalled it back in the vehicle and you could touch it immediately.

The management for the Dealership came out, and all the salesmen where waiting to see the General Manager's expression. She looked at the kit light, and said that it looked a little better but was still hazy. Actually it appeared as if someone just wiped pancake syrup over it. She then said pointing at ours, âThat looks like new! Can you guys fix the other light so it will match?" FUNNY PART: I said to Tony âletâs get that to the back and wipe that crap off before it dries!"

If you are thinking about buying a do-it-yourself kit, why not drive down the road and throw the same amount of your hard earned money out the window, youâll get the same results! Or here is a better Idea! Call a professional and have it done right the first time.